Sunday, July 29, 2012

If you can't handle "blood, gush, and tears" then I suggest you skip this post altogether or just skim over the pictures. Or, if you're like me and could read exciting birth stories all day long for some weird reason, by all means, continue on!

Saturday started off as any other normal Saturday would, because I'd finally begrudgingly accepted the fact that I wasn't going into labor on my own and I'd have to be induced Sunday morning. That was the plan and I had full intentions of sticking to it. We cleaned the animal cages, vacuumed, folded laundry, emptied the dishwasher, ate breakfast, and then I had my mom take some photos of us on our last day as a family of three/snap maternity pics. I can't wait to share the images that my sister edited - here's a sneak peek:

After our impromptu photoshoot I wanted to take Chris shopping at the GAP to get some birthday clothes - he turns 27 on Friday! Yes, I'm a cougar, marrying a younger man :) We got him some shirts, I got a dress and top, and we perused through J Crew and a few other stores - enjoying our final moments of time alone while Grandma stayed home with Fox. Then we went to Target and got some new bedsheets cuz ours are old and dingy. And we needed doggie poop bags - FYI. Somehow we ended up with organic bedsheets and decompostable poop bags - like we're "green" and "earthy" or something!

When we got home after running errands we were starving so my mom made us delicious "Marlboro Man Sandwiches." So good. I'll always remember Fox chucking a french fry across the dining room, us laughing super hard, so of course he did it again and again... Silly boy likes to make us laugh.

At 1pm we put Fox down for a nap. I was about to take my daily nap too but of course I had to use the restroom first. As I was peeing I felt/heard the strangest "pop!" and a gush of liquid came out. I think? I was peeing so I couldn't really tell! The water was cloudy but Chris says my urine is always cloudy cuz I don't drink enough water. I remember when they broke my water with Fox contractions started happening shortly thereafter so I decided I wanted to wait and see if this was the real deal. I called the hospital and asked if I should come in and they said yes, but I was super hesitant after being sent home Wednesday night. Just a few minutes later, I had a contraction. A painful one. And then another one a few minutes later. We scrambled around packing up our things, I posted on this here blog at 1:34pm saying that we were off to the hospital, and away we were. Ready or not, here comes Baby Jane!

40 weeks and 1 day.

The hospital is 14 miles away, but remember, we live in Los Angeles - the city with the worst traffic in the country. Awesome.

Yes, there was traffic.
I was feeling pretty good for about 10 minutes, then my contractions REALLY started hurting. I called the hospital and begged for an anesthesiologist to be waiting for me at the door. They didn't really encourage me - just said there are doctors and nurses there 24/7 - no duh. Chris dropped me off at Emergency. As soon as I got out of the car and had to move around I was in constant pain. I was crying. I was miserable and scared. I was wheeled up to L&D and admitted. On Wednesday night the admission process took like two hours - question after question, test after test, a super long ultrasound. There was no time for that. I needed drugs. To quote Keri Russell in one of my favorite movies, Waitress, "I want the maximum legal amount of drugs." The only thing I actually filled out on my labor plan was: "The following statement best describes how I feel about pain medication: I want the pain medicine/epidural to be given as soon as I am in labor as is safe and allowed." I don't like pain, I have a very low pain tolerance. Give me an epidural - done and done.

Then the nurse checked my cervix. She said the dreaded words I've had nightmares about this entire pregnancy, "You're at a 10, we can't give you anything at this point, it'll just make you and the baby too tired."

I. FREAKED. OUT.

I started screaming, "NO! YOU HAVE TO GIVE ME SOMETHING! CHRIS, I CAN'T DO THIS! YOU KNOW ME! I DON'T DO PAIN! I CAN'T I CAN'T I CAN'T! YOU GOTTA GIVE ME SOMETHING! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!"

Nobody was listening to me. Hardly anyone was talking. I was wheeled into the delivery room and somehow hoisted myself onto the bed. At this point it was about 2:10pm.

The next 18 minutes or so were a blur. I was in hysterics. My body took over and started pushing uncontrollably. I kept screaming "IT'S MAKING ME PUSH! IT'S MAKING ME PUSH!" Nevermind who or what the "it" is? The doctors and nurses were in position and they asked me to follow their instructions for pushing. They asked if I wanted to feel Baby Jane's head crowning - which I did - and it gave me the motivation to keep going. The next urge to push came, I listened to the doctor's instructions about when to breathe and when to push, and the next moment, Baby Jane was born at 2:28pm. Not even an hour after I blogged that we were going to the hospital. It all happened soooo fast.

They put Jane on my chest, but I was shaking so severely and covered by my gown, that they took her away soon thereafter and washed her up while I was stitched back together for over TWO HOURS. They were all up in my business.
Luckily they were able to pump me full of morphine through an IV and a shot before poking me with needles. It made me dizzy and tired but it was nice. They also gave me lidocain shots down there while they were stitching me up so it wasn't too bad. When they finished putting me back together they gave me back my baby and all was right with the world.

Jane getting weighed.
Jane getting her fuzzy hair washed.
Jane's first diaper of thousands and first little t-shirt.
Chris holding his baby girl for the first time. Proud Daddy.

I was wheeled up to Post-Partum and bombarded by nurses, doctors, and the money man.
Finally things slowed down and we were able to enjoy our time together and start letting the world know about our whirlwind experience via Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Texts/Blogging.
After dinner Grandma Carolyn and Big Brother Fox arrived! Seeing Fox meet his little sister for the first time was such a spiritual experience.

He's going to be a great big brother, I can already tell.
Grandma oogled and googled over her first granddaughter, natch.

SO. I am now part of the "au natural" club, albeit involuntarily. And here I was thinking my body doesn't know how to go into labor on its own cuz essentially I was induced with Fox and planned on getting induced with Jane. I must say, and I don't know whether it's just because this is my second baby so I know what to expect as far as recovery goes, but I feel much better physically this time around. I can stand and walk and change my (yes, MY) own diapers. I'm definitely not thinking about having another baby anytime soon, but I will have to seriously consider which route I want to go giving birth next time. Because as scary and crazy as going natural was, it was all over so fast, I've already almost forgotten how bad it was.

And now I have a sweet daughter to smother with loves and hugs and kisses!

Friday, July 27, 2012

My mom arrived Wednesday afternoon and it's been soooo fun having her here! Wednesday night while we were watching one of our favorite mother/daughter movies, Overboard, I started having contractions, and they didn't feel so nice. It was like a constant pain in my abdomen, so around 9pm we packed up the rest of my hospital gear, snuck into Fox's room to say goodnight and goodbye to being an only child, then headed to Hollywood.

We found a parking spot just for L&D and made our way to the front of the ER where nice men with wheelchairs are ready and waiting for preggos about to burst.

As I was being wheeled up to the 4th floor, all the ER patients were cheering us on. It was fun. Little did I know we'd be making the walk of shame out of there in a few hour's time...

I got hooked up to fetal heartbeat and contraction monitors, head my blood pressure taken, and then the resident OB came in to check me.

40 hours since my membranes were stripped and I was still 3-4cm, 50% effaced. Zero change. You've got to be kidding me. I asked about getting induced and he and the other resident OB seemed baffled that I would even ask. They said I could walk around for a few hours to try and get things going or go home. Since I hadn't progressed in 40 hours, I knew walking around for another few hours would make no difference. We went home.

So here we are. Still no baby. My counter is over and Jane is still cooking away.

I've given up trying to make her come by eating random things and going on vigorous walks, etc. Sunday I call the hospital at 8:30am to see if there's room for me and if so, I'm set to be induced at 9am with my own OB who understands and knows my situation. Crossing my fingers that plan comes to pass without a hitch! This is definitely my "test of patience" pregnancy!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

I went to my last doctor appointment yesterday morning. 3-4cm and 50% effaced. She stripped my membranes. Ouch. I had my "bloody show" in the afternoon. I had contractions all day yesterday - nothing painful or very consistent. I woke up in the middle of the night cuz I thought it might be happening. False alarm. No contractions today.

So.

Here we are.

No baby.

I'm going NUTS.

I'm sure if I went to the hospital and they broke my water and gave me pitocin I'd have a baby in my arms in a matter of hours. I guess we'll just have to wait until Sunday to do that. And that's only if there's a room available. Heaven help me, it feels like I'm going to be pregnant F.O.R.E.V.E.R.

My mom is a half hour away so that's something to look forward to and keep me distracted.

Chris was super husband/dad and took Fox to Jump 'n Jammin this morning. Meanwhile I assembled the baby swing, play mat, and bouncer. As soon as Fox walked in the door what do you think he did? Climbed right up into the swing. I cannot believe how big he's gotten in less than two years! Jane is going to feel like a feather!

And then he found the newly reassembled mat so of course I had to compare those as well.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

On June 24th 2012 I blogged a few Instagram pictures, one of which was the filming of a Wendy's commercial at one of the houses in the neighborhood behind our apartment that is ALWAYS getting filmed at:
To quote myself, "There was a fake yard sale set up all over the front lawn. I'm not sure what a yard sale has to do with fast food... only time will tell!"
Well, time told during The Bachelorette finale - best season ever, by the way. I heart Jef and Emily. But I digress, here is the commercial:

Here are pics I took of the filming scene on June 13th 2012:
Trucks, trucks, and more trucks. It's pretty amazing how many trucks and equipment and people are needed for a 32 second commercial.
Behind the scenes.Getting closer...
Zoomed in, you can totally see the red-haired girl with the blue shirt and the actor in the barcalounger:
Screenshot from the commercial: (They make it look much better than my phone did.)
Filming took place on June 13th and just over a month later it's a commercial! That was a pretty quick turnaround. And it's really fun to see on the big screen :) Perhaps I'll be a bit more inclined to try the Baconator next time I'm at Wendy's.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Last week at Toys"R"Us Fox's new friend's dad asked if we'd ever been to Jump 'n Jammin. No sir - what and where is it? It's a family entertainment center at Santa Anita Mall with multi-levels of mazes, ladders, slides, and a central foam-ball shooting arena. Basically, every little boy's dream come true. So what the heck, I decided to take Fox. It opens and 10am and you can bet your bottom dollar we were there when the doors opened! I forked over $5 for Fox (a parent is free with the paid admission of a child) and let him loose! There's a designated play place for kids under 2, but Fox wasn't fooled by the mini toys and cheap tricks :) Into the maze he went! Kids under 3 have to be accompanied by an adult through the tubes, so me and my 9 month pregnant self followed him into the matrix.

The best (worst?) part was when I was up on the third level and some old man pointed to me and yelled extremely loud, "YOU'RE CRAZY! YOU'RE CRAZY!" Umm, thanks? What was I supposed to say to that? I just laughed and said, "Yup."

So in this central area there are lots of bags that you fill up with foam balls and then bring up to the 2nd and 3rd levels and shoot from the guns. My belly got hit once, it was pretty funny. The balls don't hurt at all, thank goodness.

There's also a big bounce house which Fox found extremely entertaining.

"I can't wait until I'm a little bigger so I can do all the things the big kids are doing!"

I'm so surprised I didn't go into labor maneuvering through all the tunnels and spaces made for children. Chris will have to be the one to take Fox next time cuz I'm going to have a me a wee little one in just a few days and can't carry her through the matrix :) Eeeee!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Still here. Still pregnant. 39 weeks and 3 days. I'm due on Friday and if she's not born by the 29th I'll be induced - that's next Sunday people! 7 days! Or less than! Can I get an amen?! I'm sooooo excited to meet Jane and see her sweet face and dress her in cute clothes. I hope she has lots of hair. So here I am, about ready to pop!

During my last few days of "freedom" I chose to scrapbook! I've got my priorities straight :)

JANE'S SHOWER

Journaling says: My girlfriends threw me the most perfect and pretty shower for Baby Jane. All the little details came together so beautifully. The food was delicious and I loved seeing everyone. Plus Jane got hooked up :)

How to: Cut strips of patterned paper and trim or punch one edge of each strip with decorative scissors or a border punch. Spray each paper strip with water, crinkle, and let them dry. Stagger the paper strips across a cardstock block then place it below photos on a floral paper layout background. Make a title, write journaling on the edges, and embellish with stickers and a tag.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

T minus <10 days 'til D-Day!

These last few days have been the longest.days.of.my.life. I am literally constantly thinking about giving birth and how everything is going to work out and praying that it's as smooth as Fox's. In the meantime, to pass the time, here's what we've been up to:

Cooling off with a Jamba Juice. I ALWAYS get Caribbean Passion. Fox took one sip and was done. Fine with me - more for me!

Fox has perfected the art of drinking from sprinklers. There were about 10 going and he crawled to each and every one and licked from them like a dog. Boys will be boys!

Apparently when it's your birthday in the neighborhood behind our apartment you get pink flamingo-ed. Fox was fascinated once again by this phenomenon.

Mother dearest - please hurry up and get here cuz I need your help. I no longer have energy or willingness to cook. Oh, who am I kidding, I NEVER have the desire to cook. Hence PB&J for dinner:

We went to Toys"R"Us today cuz it's much too hot to meander around outside and we came home with alphabet fridge magnets. We're one of "those" families now!

When I was growing up, trips to Toys"R"Us were the ULTIMATE outing. I wonder if it'll be the same with Fox and Jane? Of all the many many aisles filled with bright colored toys, Fox found the coolest one with powerwheels. I remember my brother and I begging and pleading my dad for one of these every time we went to Toys"R"Us and never got one............ Maybe he'll spoil his grandson :) Fox had a blast hopping from car to car and trying them all on for size.

Looks like we'll be making more trips to Toys"R"Us in the future because he was happily entertained for nearly two hours!

welcome!

I’m from Seattle. Chris is from Denver. We met at BYU and got married in 2007 in Nauvoo, IL. Chris graduated from the USC School of Dentistry in 2013 through an Army scholarship. We just returned from Grafenwöhr, Germany after being stationed there for 4 years and we LOVED traveling all around Europe! Now we're stationed at Ft. Lewis, Washington. I’m a stay-at-home-working-mom to our son Fox and daughter Jane. Scrapbooking is my passion and I have my own signature collections with Pink Paislee called Fancy Free, Take Me Away, Oh My Heart, and Turn the Page. I’m a blogger for Stamp & Scrapbook Expo, a teacher at Big Picture Classes and Craftsy, on the design team of Scrapbook & Cards Today and Kerri Bradford Studio, and I have an Etsy shop on the side. I love teaching in-person scrapbooking and bookbinding workshops whenever and wherever I can! Thanks for stopping by!